


A Ladybug without Her Cat: Little Kitty on a Roof

by AllTheCatsJoinIn



Series: A Ladybug without Her Cat [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Panic Attack, mention of cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheCatsJoinIn/pseuds/AllTheCatsJoinIn
Summary: This is a follow-up to ‘A Ladybug without Her Cat: New York Fallout’.  I thought about including this in the first part, but I chose not to, because in the first part I wanted to write LadyNoir, but when I thought about what might happen when they talked again… Well… You’ll see (or you’ve read the tags and are rolling your eyes at me LOL).In case you haven’t read the first part, go read it! Here is a quick summary though, because I’m feeling merciful: basically, Ladybug is under a LOT of pressure after New York.  She’s the new Guardian dealing with rebuilding her team after Miracle Queen, Adrien and Chat both have girlfriends, and it’s tearing her up.  She realizes watching Chat move on is worse than losing Adrien, and the revelation sends her over the edge.  Chat saves her from getting Akumatized, and she reveals that she has feelings for him.  They get swept up in the moment and kiss (yep, sorry!), then deal with the fallout.  Adrien is guilty but hopeful, Kagami is bummed, Marinette tries to be a good friend, and Alya is psyched that her ship is sailing!After an eventful day, Ladybug and Chat finally have their heart to heart (with some angst and some guilt, of course).  Includes reveals with a twist.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: A Ladybug without Her Cat [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100507
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	A Ladybug without Her Cat: Little Kitty on a Roof

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this begins with a panic attack (paragraphs 2-4). It is referenced in the ensuing discussion.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or any of the characters or unique concepts from the show.

Ladybug landed on the rooftop and spotted Chat immediately. Her kitty was sitting with his black booted feet casually dangling over the hundred foot drop, singing, “Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady…”

She felt a full body shudder roll over her and suddenly she was gasping, unable to get enough oxygen. Chat whipped around and ran to her, but she couldn’t answer his plea, too focused on trying to breathe. 

Long arms encased in warm black leather wrapped around her, and then she was sitting in his lap, cradled against his chest. She wheezed desperately, trying not to think about ice blue eyes behind a white mask, but somehow that was all she could see.

“Ladybug, breathe with me!” Chat pleaded. He took a deep breath, then another, rubbing circles on her back, and gradually she was able to focus on him and start syncing her breathing. When she finally managed to come back to herself, her cheeks were soaked with tears and the sheer devastation on Chat’s face made her heart feel like it was breaking. She closed her eyes and buried herself in his chest, trying to find some calm.

After a few minutes, she edged away from Chat and wiped her cheeks. “Sorry kitty,” she mumbled, looking down. “I’m a mess lately.”

Chat reached out and nudged her chin up so he could capture her swimming blue eyes with his concerned green gaze. “Bugaboo, you don’t have to apologize. Just talk to me. I want to help.”

Ladybug glanced at him and frowned. “I’ve never told you about this. I just… It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Chat’s mouth dropped open. “Worse than our Akuma fights?”

Ladybug hedged, “Well…”

Chat’s eyes widened, “An Akuma fight when I wasn’t there?”

“Well…”

“Oh my God, just tell me, LB! What the hell happened? And how do I not know about this?”

Ladybug sighed, winced, and sat down, trepidation written across her face. “I guess I should have told you a while ago. It’s just… I didn’t want to hurt you. And also, I was scared to tell you.”

Chat flinched, hurt clear on his face, and Ladybug made a wiping motion with her hand. “Not scared of you, just scared… of… what happened, and how knowing would affect you.”

Ladybug patted the space beside her, and Chat eased over to sit, taking her hands in his. This definitely wasn’t how he’d planned to start their conversation tonight, but this was clearly something they needed to hash out if it was causing his lady to have panic attacks.

“A while back, I messed up. It was something stupid, I was using my superhero powers to make my personal life easier, and it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. So big that Bunnix had to summon me to the future to fight the Akuma that I was somehow responsible for, and then I had to fix my mistake to make sure that that timeline didn’t happen.”

Ladybug took another deep breath, striving for calm. She really didn’t want to fall apart again, but this was so difficult to even think about, and she’d never told anyone except Tikki. “The Akuma… it was you. You’d somehow learned my name, and you told me that our love destroyed the world. You’d killed Hawk Moth… and future me. That was why Bunnix had to summon past me to fight you.”

Chat was listening in silence, but his hands tightened on hers and she could see the wheels turning behind his bright green eyes. “It was the worst battle I’ve ever fought. Chat Blanc almost destroyed everything, before I saved him. I had nightmares for months. Sometimes I still do.”

“Do you know why? What happened to me?” Chat asked, eyes filming over.

Ladybug shook her head. “Bunnix wouldn’t tell me. She just sent me back and had me fix my mistake so it never happened. I have my theories about how you found out, but I don’t know why knowing who I am led to you being Akumatized.”

“Have you talked to Tikki about this?” Chat asked anxiously, rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand while his tail lashed behind him.

Ladybug nodded, reaching an arm around to draw Chat into her side. As difficult as this was for her, she could tell it was hurting him, and wanted to offer what comfort she could. “I have. A few times, actually. She’s not sure either, but she has pointed out several times that we were younger when this happened, and probably not ready for a serious relationship. She thinks it’s not necessarily just the fact that you knew me, but the how and when, that were important. Tikki doesn’t think the same thing would happen now that we’re older and hopefully more mature.”

Chat nodded, adopting a thousand yard stare as he processed all of this. Ladybug waited patiently, scratching his head behind the ears and smiling as he started to purr quietly.

Finally he sighed and straightened, turning so that he could peer seriously into her eyes. “Milady, I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m so glad you’re all right.”

Ladybug smiled at Chat, shaking her head over the fact that of course, his first reaction was about her, not about what it meant for him.

“You really are too good for me, minou,” she replied affectionately.

Chat chuckled a little and squeezed her hand. “Im-paw-sible,” he teased.

She huffed a laugh and pushed him gently with her free hand.

Chat swallowed and regained his more serious demeanor, continuing, “LB, this really does tell me one thing, though.”

Ladybug raised an inquiring eyebrow and Chat frowned, saying seriously, “You take too much on your own shoulders. I wish you’d share more of this with me. I know you’re the Guardian and you think a lot of this is just on you, but I’m your partner. I can help, if you let me. I want to help you.”

She smiled at him, but responded, “I know, Chaton. I probably would have been more open with you recently, but it didn’t feel right. You were trying to move on, and I… well… I just wanted you to be happy. It seemed like you were, and I didn’t want to mess with that. I could tell you wanted space.”

She sighed, guilt suddenly falling over her in a wave. “I’m sorry I couldn’t just stay away and let you be happy. I honestly wasn’t trying to string you along or get your attention.”

Chat laughed a little drily. “Milady, that’s the issue; you never have to try. My attention is always on you. That’s why I was so desperate to stay away while I was trying to get over you. I don’t blame you, though. You don’t have to apologize.”

“I kind of do, though,” she responded, fiddling with her fingers. “I shouldn’t have kissed you this morning.”

Chat’s head snapped up and his suddenly wide eyes found hers. “Did you not mean it?” he breathed hoarsely.

Ladybug wind-milled her arms, almost smacking him, as she backpedaled. “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant! I mean I did mean it! I mean…” she took a deep breath and tried again. “I shouldn’t have kissed you when you have a girlfriend. Even though I wanted to.” She breathed out, feeling relief that she’d gotten out a clear sentence, and gazed up at him unsurely.

He also breathed a sigh of relief, responding, “Okay then.” He paused for a moment while Ladybug’s heart felt trapped in amber. “I also regret kissing you while I had a girlfriend. It was wrong to get swept up in the moment like that.”

Ladybug looked up at him, waiting. He sighed. “I called and broke up with her earlier today. I didn’t tell her what we did, because that wouldn’t serve any purpose except hurting her, but I did apologize for dating her when I was trying to get over someone else. I’ve always been honest with her about that, and she said she wanted to date me anyway, but I still feel bad that I ended up hurting her. I realized that she deserved better, and that staying together any longer would be unhealthy for both of us.”

Chat reached a hand around to rub his neck sheepishly, a tauntingly familiar gesture he’d done hundreds of times during their partnership, and Ladybug’s mouth slowly fell open.

Maybe it was the earlier conversation about Chat Blanc that had her thinking about Adrien and Chat at the same time. Maybe it was just the conversation she’d had earlier with Kagami and the odd coincidence that the (two) blond boys in her life had broken up with their girlfriends on the same day because they were in love with someone else. Maybe it was just the culmination of a hundred little hints and circumstances finally piling up and over the walls Ladybug had carefully constructed when Master Fu had first told her that she must not know who her partner was… But suddenly, without her conscious intent, it was like she was seeing Chat clearly for the first time. The bright locks of soft golden hair, the stunning green eyes she’d glimpsed when he was Mister Bug, the lightly sun-kissed skin, the slope of his shoulders that she stared at _every day in class_ …

Chat frowned at her, noticing her distraction, and asked, “Bugaboo, you there?” He waved a hand in front of her face, but she just stared at him, her blue eyes growing larger by the second.

“LB? Milady?” Chat was starting to panic, unsure what was going on with his partner.

Ladybug gasped and shook her whole body, like she was a dog trying to get dry. “Oh my God,” she mumbled, and sank back down to her knees. “Adrien.”

Chat stopped and stared at her. “What?” he whispered, uncertain.

“Adrien Agreste,” Ladybug said more clearly, now looking up at him. He gulped and sank down to his knees in front of her so they were eye to eye again. After a moment, he nodded.

Ladybug shook her head. “That’s how you figured out who I was in the alternate timeline. Of course. Oh my God, you were right in front of me all along…” 

She rubbed her face, mumbling something about being stupid, while Adrien tried not to panic. Suddenly, Ladybug’s face morphed into an expression of intense sadness. “I’m the reason you cheated on Kagami! Oh my God, I’m a horrible person! Oh God, I can’t even apologize properly to her…”

She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face. Chat looked on helplessly for a minute before reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. She initially shook him off but then let him pull her in to lean on him, looking up at him sadly.

“I know it wasn’t a good moment for us, Bugaboo, but it’s not that bad,” Chat sad gently. “We didn’t set out to hurt her or deceive her, and Kagami knew my heart was elsewhere. It’s true I should have waited to kiss you until I broke up with her, and I’m sorry for that. But I’m not sorry for the chance to be with you. It’s always been you. I tried so hard to move on, but the truth is that I never could, no matter how much I wanted to, no matter how much it hurt, and she knew that. I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

Ladybug looked up at him and smiled, but then started to frown as tears burned her eyes. “But you don’t. You don’t love me, me; you love Ladybug.”

“Of course I love you, Marinette,” Chat replied gently, soft green eyes shining down into hers.

Ladybug gasped and started back violently, pinwheeling her arms and accidentally tipping herself over. She let out a whuff as the concrete connected with her back, then just lay there for a second, staring at the sky, before her partner’s concerned face loomed into her vision.

“How?” she asked weakly. “When?”

Chat smiled uncertainly, his green eyes crinkling. “Actually, I was almost sure it was you after Kwamibuster. You had me convinced for a while with that stunt you pulled with Multi-mouse; that was a good one. Eventually, though, I started to wonder again. It wasn’t any one thing, just a lot of little things that kept pointing to the same answer until I couldn’t ignore it or dismiss it any more. It had to be you. I just… I wanted to tell you, but I knew you didn’t want me to know, so I just decided to keep it to myself until it seemed like the right time. I’m sorry, I probably should have told you,” he said, looking down. “I was really afraid that it would freak you out, and it seemed like you had enough on your plate, you know?”

Ladybug nodded. While she did kind of wish he’d told her when he figured it out, he was right; she would have totally freaked. “It’s all right,” she said, taking the hand he reached out to pull her back upright. They knelt together on the concrete roof, wind tousling their hair, and stared at each other.

“Adrien.”

“Marinette.”

After a minute, they started to smile. Chat laughed, and it set off Ladybug, and soon they were giggling together helplessly, tears streaming down their faces. Each time one of them tried to stop, they’d catch a glimpse of the other and lose it again. 

Finally, Ladybug gasped, “Tikki, spots off.”

Chat seemed surprised but immediately followed with, “Plagg, claws in.”

Their Kwami took one look at the pair of them, and grinned. Plagg opened his mouth but Tikki slapped an appendage over it, grabbed him, and dragged him away to the far corner of the roof before he could comment. Adrien laughed.

“Clearly you got the nicer Kwami,” he teased.

Marinette solemnly nodded, “That is true. Yours might be more fun, though.”

Adrien laughed. “Yeah, but he makes my whole room smell like cheese.”

Marinette giggled. “Oooh, that’s worse, you’re right.”

They grinned at each other, and Adrien reached out a hand hesitantly to cup her cheek. Marinette’s breath caught and a blush covered her face as Adrien’s thumb traced a gentle path across her cheekbone. They inched closer, and he smiled at her with a look that made her knees weak.

“I love you, Marinette,” he reiterated, bringing the other hand up to her back to draw her in closer. “I love everything about you. Whatever part of your heart you can give me, I will cherish it.”

Marinette closed her eyes, then opened them again, shining brightly into his as she laughed suddenly, a completely joyous sound that caught him by surprise. “Adrien, Chat, you have all of my heart. You always have. It’s always been you.”

His eyes opened wide and he stared at her before breaking into a disbelieving laugh. “No, you mean…?”

Marinette nodded, blushing. He grinned widely, and drew her gently in to kiss her. She slanted her lips over his own, shyness soon lost in the joy of embracing her love. They were still kissing untold minutes later when Plagg finally got away from Tikki and interrupted them to demand cheese.


End file.
